Full-time: Sunderland 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2

IN the whole of last season, there were four occasions when Sunderland came from behind to claim at least a point. This time around, they have done it three times in the first four Premier League matches.

Clearly, such a record is unsustainable over the course of a whole season, and at some stage, the Black Cats will have to improve to a point where they no longer fall behind so regularly, and are no longer dominated as comprehensively as was the case against a vibrant Tottenham side at the weekend.

But for now, it is possible to draw solace from the indefatigability that enabled them to claim their third point of the season despite barely seeing the ball against Spurs, let alone carving out a succession of chances.

On far too many occasions last term, the merest hint of a setback resulted in complete collapse. If nothing else, at least Gus Poyet has instilled a sense of spirit and resolve that enables his players to respond more positively to adversity.

“The mentality of the squad is great now,” said the Sunderland head coach. “They never give up, and accept that sometimes we have to fight a little bit harder than our opponents, especially if the opposition is very good.

“Sometimes, you have a bad day at the office, or have to accept that the opposition is better than you. That happens in the Premier League, and then the players have to work it out somehow, to get something from the game. There were moments out there that were very hard for us, but the players worked out a way to come through it.”

The discipline displayed by Sunderland’s back four was certainly commendable, with the failure of the Black Cats’ midfield to get anywhere near Tottenham’s two key creative players, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen, meaning the hosts were under intense pressure throughout.

Ultimately, though, it was Poyet’s second-half changes that eventually stemmed Spurs’ momentum, and for all that the summer transfer narrative was dominated by the seemingly interminable pursuit of Fabio Borini, the quality of the attacking players that arrived has perhaps been downplayed.

Jordi Gomez and Will Buckley provided some much-needed energy and creativity in the final quarter of an hour, with a third substitute, Emmanuele Giaccherini, also making a significant contribution to the final outcome.

The presence of all three on the bench necessitated the dropping of either Jozy Altidore or Steven Fletcher, and Poyet’s bold decision to dispense with the latter could well prove the beginning of the end in terms of the Scotsman’s first-team tenure on Wearside.

Poyet’s move was vindicated by the impact made by his choice of replacements, although Giaccherini’s performance in particular rendered the decision to start with deadline-day signing Ricardo Alvarez, who will clearly need time to acclimatise to life in the Premier League, somewhat baffling.

“We have more options now, and the bench is stronger,” said Poyet. “We have different options within the squad now. Last season, it was generally a case of swapping a striker for a striker or a winger for a winger. Maybe the winger you brought on was quicker than the one you took off, but it wasn’t very different.

“Now, we have things we haven’t had for a while. I took a striker from the bench in order to get an extra midfielder because I wanted players who I thought could change the game, like Giaccherini, Gomez and Buckley.

“In the end, that was what we needed. Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was a good decision? I don’t know, but I know Fletch and he knows me. He needs a goal, but we need goals from all of our strikers.”

It was keeping things out at the other end that was Sunderland’s key concern in the opening stages of Saturday’s game, which began at the kind of breakneck pace that is rarely seen outside of the English top-flight.

Danny Rose should have scored after just 50 seconds, but Spurs were ahead less than a minute later anyway as Vito Mannone could only parry Emmanuel Adebayor’s shot, enabling Nacer Chadli to stab home the rebound.

To their credit, Sunderland’s response was immediate, with Adam Johnson, who looked much more threatening on the left flank than the right, dribbling between two defenders before slotting past Hugo Lloris via a deflection.

The remainder of the first half was an exercise in soaking up pressure from a Sunderland perspective, and while the impressive Moussa Dembele rattled the left-hand upright, it was the 48th minute before Eriksen restored his side’s lead, stabbing home from close range after Patrick van Aanholt’s attempted clearance had hit Wes Brown.

Lamela curled against the crossbar as Spurs continued to dominate, but the Black Cats claimed an unlikely point when substitute Harry Kane turned Gomez’s driven free-kick into his own net with eight minutes left.

“That was the best team we have played against by far,” said Poyet. “It was a really hard day for us, but we got a proper point, one where you need to work really hard. So overall, I’m happy.”